Ellen Pakkies with actress Jill Levenberg, who portrays her in the local film Ellen, Die Storie Van Ellen Pakkies, which has been selected for viewing at the 44th Annual Seattle International Film Festival.

PICS: Ellen Pakkies cried as movie about her life premiered

These were the desperate words that finally drove a Cape Flats mother to kill her own son.

This week, a film telling the life story of Lavender Hill mom, Ellen Pakkies, and her tragic tik-addicted son, Adam, premiered in Cape Town.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the room when media and local celebrities came out to watch Ellen, The Ellen Pakkies Story at the kykNET Silwerskerm Festival, held at The Bay Hotel in Camps Bay, on Wednesday night.

The blue carpet was rolled out and the 600-seater venue was packed to the rafters for the much-anticipated true-life story, which will be released in cinemas on 7 September.

STAR APPEAL: The cast of movie, with Ellen Pakkies, on whose life the film is based

Ellen made world headlines in 2007 when she admitted to strangling her son to death in his tiny shack at the back of her home.

She told a court that Adam, aka Abie, had been terrorising her and her husband for years, stealing from her and breaking all her windows and even assaulting her in fits of rage when she refused to feed his tik habit.

Sobbing

Ellen was also at the premiere and sobbed as the film was introduced.

She refused to grant any interviews.

Actress Jill Levenberg, from Kensington, brings the mom’s tale to life on the silver screen, and said: “I was honoured to have this big role as I can identify with her. I wanted to do justice to Ellen’s story because since the murder of Abie Pakkies, nothing’s changed. There are still so many Ellens out there and we are living in a war zone with drug abuse on the Cape Flats.

“It was amazing to see the final product on premiere day, I’m glad the movie is being so well received.”

The role of Ellen’s lawyer, Adrian Samuels, is played by Clint Brink, who says he hopes the movie is an eye-opener to people.

POSTER: Fliek out in cinemas next month

“Drugs have infiltrated our community and I hope this film opens the eyes of drug merchants and addicts to see what they are doing to us,” he says.

Jarrid Geduld plays Abie, while the role of husband Odneal Pakkies is played by Elton Landrew.

Ellen gave input into the script and also helped recreate scenes for the movie, which was directed by Daryne Joshua and shot in her Lavender Hill home, where she still lives.